Chad Mendes: I Definitely Do Think Jose Aldo Uses PEDs, I Own Him Right Now

UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo has been locked in quite a heated battle with number one contender Chad Mendes recently. Rather uncharacteristically, ‘Scarface’ recently blasted ‘Money’ for PED use, after Mendes had fired the first shot against the champ by saying he was ‘fragile’. Mendes then gave a witty comeback over Twitter, telling the champion to kiss his belt goodbye.

Seemingly on a warpath over Aldo’s injury causing the postponement of UFC 176, ‘Money’ appeared on Sherdog Radio, attempting to further soil the champion’s reputation. The transcript is courtesy of MMAFighting.com:

“This is huge for me. This is huge for me getting in there and taking that belt from him. I’ve never seen him talk like this about anybody. He’s being very disrespectful,” Mendes continued. “I’ve never been caught red-handed or anything. It’s funny to me that as soon as the whole random drug testing started popping up, the next day he is injured and out of the fight. If anything, I could throw that in his face, but whatever.”

So now the allegations of PED use are being fired back at the champion by the challenger, in what is becoming a very heated and public feud. The two first met at UFC 142 in Brazil, where Aldo starched Mendes with a first round knee to the dome. Mendes seems to think that Aldo’s anger is a sign that he is in the mind of ‘Junior’:

“The first time I saw that, for me, this is huge in my mind,” said Mendes of Aldo’s comments. “He’s reaching big time. We have never seen Aldo lash out like this; we’ve never seen him lose his temper. I am in his head. I own him right now.I definitely do [think Aldo's using PEDs],” said Mendes. “This is something that’s been ongoing, but for him to all of a sudden just drop out — I mean he drops out of a lot of fights — but I think it’s pretty coincidental.”

The recent storms surrounding failed drug tests, the TRT ban and overall PED use in MMA has been rather smearing for the growing sport, and especially for the UFC. But is Mendes just using a coincidental timing to hurl abuse at Aldo, or does he have any sort of solid proof to fall back on. As previously mentioned, Mendes says that Aldo wants the fight in Brazil, but for more sordid reasons:

“So this is the thing: We’ve got all this random drug testing, all this stuff that’s going on, testing for EPO, HGH, all this stuff now — they can get away with that stuff over in Brazil,” said Mendes. “This is why he wants me to be in Brazil and fighting in Brazil, [because] they can do all that kind of stuff there.For me, I want this to be a fair fight. I went there first; I fought him in his backyard. I think it’s only fair he comes here and fights me in my backyard. Let’s make it one and one and see what happens. “

So more accusations of serious nature are being hurled between these featherweight titans, and it is Mendes now who levels some serious insinuations at the champion. Do you think he is playing mind games, or does he truly suspect the Brazilian champ of being crooked?

Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller are set to do battle in the main event of tonight’s (Wednesday July 16, 2014) UFC Fight Night 45. In quite a tough match of evenly talented and well rounded veterans, it really is an intriguing meeting between ‘Cowboy’ and Miller. Will it be the aggressive clinch work and takedowns of Miller, or Cerrone’s precise striking and submissions from the back that win the day?

We’ve seen both men climb to great heights in the past, and often stumble at the penultimate hurdle. Tonight will truly be a make or break point in the career of both these warriors, and that fact is likely to spur them on tenfold. I’d be willing to bet a large chunk of money on the fact that the judges will not be in play for this bout.

So, on to the question; who takes the main event at UFC Fight Night 45, Donald Cerrone or Jim Miller? Take a vote, and have your say!